Wolff full of praise for Brackley team

Toto Wolff was full of praise for Lewis Hamilton following the Spanish Grand Prix

Published:09:46Thursday 18 May 2017

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Mercedes AMG Petronas boss Toto Wolff said Sunday’s victory in the Spanish Grand Prix was one for the whole team.

Lewis Hamilton took his 55th career victory – his second at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – and second of the 2017 season.

Everything clicked and came together for us. It was a day when only one Ferrari finished, so in spite of the retirement, we built up our championship lead

Team boss Toto Wolff

But Brackley team-mate Valtteri Bottas experienced his first retirement as a Silver Arrows driver with a mechanical failure on lap 39

Hamilton set the fastest lap of the race for the third time this season, the 50th Formula One fastest lap for the three pointed star.

The Brackley outfit lead the FIA F1 Constructors’ Championship by eight points from Ferrari while Hamilton closed the gap on Sebastian Vettel to just six points in the F1 Drivers’ Championship, with Bottas a further 35 points back in third.

Wolff said: “Racing simply doesn’t go more wheel to wheel and we were treated to some fantastic racing for the win. The win was one for the whole team; an amazing drive from Lewis, great calls by our strategy team, good defensive driving by Valtteri, the fastest pit stops of the race and a quick, consistent upgraded car.

“Everything clicked and came together for us. It was a day when only one Ferrari finished, so in spite of the retirement, we built up our championship lead.

“It was not a perfect day, we lost one car with a technical failure and Valtteri struggled with a damaged car.

“But this was Lewis’s day with a supreme drive. People have been asking me if Lewis is now back, the truth is he has never been away.

Hamilton said: “It was a great way to bounce back from Russia. It was the rawest fight that I can remember having in a long-time.

“I loved it, this is why I race. That is what made me get into racing in the first place. This is what the sport needs to be like every single weekend.

“To have a close battle like that with a four-time champion is awesome. I lost out on the start and had to watch Sebastian [Vettel] fly by. He was so fast out in front and it was such a push to keep in touch with him and not let him pull away.

Bottas added: “It’s been a tough weekend. We had problems straight from practice, when we had to swap to the old engine on Saturday morning.

“At least we got more points than Ferrari in spite of the retirement. We should have both been on the podium, it’s disappointing when you don’t finish but we’ll pick ourselves up and move on.”

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